


Berseria on the High Seas

by Aerolysia



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: F/F, Magic, Pirates, Religious Cults, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24067663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerolysia/pseuds/Aerolysia
Summary: Velvet has been living on the seas for over a year as the Captain of the ship that rescued her. Eleanor had the perfect life as a Praetor...until she didn't. Until everything she believed in came crashing down around her. Now she's on the run. The very same night she runs away from her life Velvet steps into her life. Velvet who hates the Abbey and the Church more than anything. Things won't be easy for either of them as they try and figure out whether to kill each other or admit to their attraction while they both evade capture.
Relationships: Velvet Crowe/Eleanor Hume
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	Berseria on the High Seas

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if there is a good fanbase for this but I loved this pair and I just finished the game. Updates might be slow as I'm finding less time at work to work on my fanfictions and I'm devoting most of my time to a rewrite but I hope to write at least a small story...possibly leave it open for a series I've always wanted to do one of those.

Outside the city walls was chaos.

Daemons had run of the land and while it was safer than it had been in the beginning it still wasn't safe enough to travel alone. Not without an exorcist in any case.

Even then there was no guarantee you would make it over great distances.

Which meant a lot of people simply lived and died where they were born.

But it didn't mean there wasn't a stream of youths constantly complaining about their lot in life. About having to be a fisherman like their father or a seamstress. About never escaping the town they were unlucky enough to be born in. And how many people had she heard idly wish to be an exorcist and fight daemons, or protect people.

Too many to count. And not one of them truly understood what it took, what you had to sacrifice to get where she was. Or how hopeless the feeling when you find you do have the talent….just not enough of it to amount to anything more than a body guard for civilians, or cannon fodder for those with greater abilities than your own.

Not that Eleanor Hume really had that much to complain about.

She was a praetor. She wasn't cannon fodder. She wasn't the most powerful, she wasn't very experienced but she could hold her own with the others and she was on first name basis with some of the legates. She was important.

Or rather she had been. She had also been just as naïve as the other idiots wanting to be an exorcist and was finding out she hadn't truly understood just what it meant to serve the many over the one.

And now….

She was on the run.

Away from everything and anyone she had every known. She had been forced to cast aside her title and beliefs when she made her decision and now there was nothing left for her to do except move forward.

She would likely die. At the hands of ones she called friends no less.

But for the moment she would keep running. There wasn't anything else she could do. Not unless she wanted to return the child she'd stolen. And even then her life would likely still be forfeit.

The one. For the many.

So she wouldn't falter in her decision now. It was too late to change her mind. But it didn't stop her from questioning herself. Her decision.

Why did she take the girl?

Why didn't she just leave her?

Not that she didn't know the answer to that burning question. She wouldn't be Eleanor Hume if she wasn't moved by what she had seen. If she didn't abhor the injustice of it.

Why did they seem to think she was cold hearted enough to see what they were doing and sit idly by? To be a part of some insane experiment?

Why had she followed them so blindly?

She had her misgivings.

The many for the few. It was logical in a way and before she had admired that logic. But now….now she wondered how she could have been so naïve. She had never thought about the few. About the few who were sacrificed for the many.

At least not until she saw the child.

Until she witnessed a legate murder the girl's mother in front of her to see what effect it would have on her malevolence. To see if she would turn at such a young age.

She couldn't be any older than four.

She hadn't truly thought about anything except getting the girl away. She'd caused a distraction and prayed it was enough.

And it had worked. She had escaped. Only now… she didn't know what exactly to do.

There wasn't a single town or island anywhere not controlled by the Church. The Empire was a joke, the ruling family all but handed the world over on a silver platter. Even the seas were restricted by the sect. There was no where for them to escape to!

And she had no idea what to do.

She had no family to turn to, no skills to keep them alive through the harsh winter months. If they even lasted that long! The church wasn't going to take her betrayal lightly. She would be hunted down mercilessly.

In fact she was surprised they had even made it to the ocean. Had even found the old abandoned lighthouse to camp in. She knew they couldn't stay there for long but at least they were relatively safe for the night and out of the storm raging on outside.

~V~

"Damn the luck! Eizen!"

The tall blonde man in question shrugged. He had learned a long time ago cursing his misfortune did nothing. And his lovely captain had long learned to expect the unexpected when it came to his curse.

Still….three Abbey ships and a storm. It really had outdone itself this time.

"Think they might be wanting you back Cap?" Benwick, all blonde hair and dimples grinned up at the wild raven haired woman, unperturbed by her murderous scowl as he casually rocked on his feet with the rolling ship. He had no doubt they would get out of the mess they were in. They were the famous Aifread pirates after all.

Velvet Crowe turned into the wind and squinted her eyes at the huge ships closing in on them.

She shot her second a pointed look. "I won't be going back alive, Eizen." His eyes too turned toward the ships and she saw him grimace. They hadn't been together more than a year but they had grown close since he had helped break her free of her prison. He did not want to be the one to end her life, but he had also seen what they would do if she was taken back by the Abbey.

Sometimes….death is preferable. Especially if it is on one's own terms and not a slow and torturous affair.

"We won't outrun them in the open. We should make for the rocks." His pale blue eyes pierced hers as he turned back.

Benwick stared at the Malakhim as if he'd lost his mind. "We'll be bashed against the rocks ourselves!"

"Do we have another choice?" Velvets voice was grimmer than they'd ever heard. "If we can make it far enough in we may be out of range of their cannon fire. At least they won't sink us."

She and Eizen shared a look over Benwick's head as the boy moved off to bark the orders. It was a crazy desperate move, they both knew it. But in open water they would be sunk as soon as the ships were in range. At least this way if the ship sunk they may hang up on a rock long enough to get the crew to safety.

"Land isn't too far away," Eizen noted, barely making out the ruins of an old fishing village through the torrential downpour and raging waves.

"Between us and it are sharp jagged rocks just waiting to tear into the Van Eltia." Velvet moved around him to lean on the ships railing. "The waves alone would crash our lifeboats against the rocks." She cursed as a cannon ball struck the water a few feet from her. They were still out of rage, but not by much. If they couldn't navigate through at least a few of those rocks….

"If we make it far enough the ships will call off their attack." He moved to stand beside her, his sharp gaze taking in every inch of the sea. His shrewd eyes missing nothing despite the boiling anger of the ocean and the swirling of the winds.

Velvet hummed. Abbey ships weren't known for chasing their prey into dangerous waters, not unless they desperately wanting something. And even though Benwick had mentioned just how much they would love to have her back she knew they had no idea she was on the ship. The Van Eltia wasn't known for taking prisoners and they flew no colors. There wasn't a guard alive who could identify it as the ship who had unwittingly rescued her barely more than a year ago.

Then again….there wasn't a guard alive that even knew what she looked like.

Mainly because she hadn't left any alive.

"The crew has their doubts but their ready, Cap." Benwick returned, a grimace on his face. "Shame, having to sacrifice this beauty though."

Velvet nodded, her eyes scanning the crew as they wobbled and slid across the deck in their haste to fix the rigging and secure the cargo in hopes of salvage.

"We have more ships." But it was difficult to come by such a loyal and adept crew. She wouldn't trade them for a hundred of the finest ships. Not that she would ever tell them that, that was a sentiment for Eizen to confer.

~V~

They weren't wrong. As soon as the first ship scraped a rock the Abbey ships backed off. Luckily the Van Eltia's crew was some of the best sailors around. They maneuvered through the largest rocks as if they weren't even there, enabling a good bit of space between their pursuers and themselves.

They might have gotten away unscathed except for the flag ship discovering they weren't quiet out of range and launching a cannon right at the mast.

In the end Velvet had the ship wedge between rocks but damn near hopping distance from the Cliffside. By some miracle they had managed to get close enough to dry land to cross without having to deploy the boats, it just took a good bit of ingenuity and a lot of guts to get from the ship to land without falling into the sea.

They had a few injuries but hadn't lost a single man.

She stood next to the grounded ship and stared out at the furious sea. The ships in the distance lingered. But only for a few hours longer before they turned and headed back toward the closest port.

She knew it wouldn't be long before they sent a ground patrol their way. The weather was far less formidable on land than at sea after all and there was no rocks to by them time.

She doubted they would be able to fish the cargo free, they didn't have a way to travel with it in any case. She knew they could get back on the ship when the storm let up and collect rations for the journey to the nearest town. At least so long as the rocks held the ship close to land. If she broke free or sunk they would be on their own.

"Cap?"

She turned toward Benwick just as the last ship left her sight. She said nothing, simply waited for him to report. She wasn't known as the most talkative after all, something Benwick always tried to challenge despite her terrifying most of the crew in the beginning. The poor boy didn't seem to have the sense to fear her. It made him a good quartermaster, a duty he shared with Eizen, but it did make her wonder about his mental health from time to time.

"We found a few houses still intact. No food or water though."

She looked up into the rain and then back down at him pointedly. "We have plenty of water, Benwick. Tell the men to get whatever they can to collect it. I wouldn't count too hard on the ship being here when the weather clears. Not with Eizen around."

Speaking of the cursed Malakhim had her glancing around for sight of his unkempt blonde hair.

"He went to investigate some lighthouse. Said if there was any food it was probably there." Benwick pointed out towards a rocky outcrop and then headed back towards the men to impart her orders.

Velvet cast one last look back at the ship and turned for the lighthouse. If nothing else it would offer them a good look at the sea when the storm passed, she'd like to make sure those ships really did clear out.

"Wait." Eizen reached out and grasped her shoulder as she made to enter the large stone structure. He slid out of the shadows and just as quick as he had grabbed her he released, aware of how much she despised being touched.

She fell into stance, wondering what he had heard or seen to put him so on edge.

"What is it?" Her words were barely a whisper as the wind kicked up around them. Whistling through the cracks in the rock building as it slid through and around the building.

"You don't feel it?"

She hadn't. Not until he said something.

Then of course it hit her full force. Like a pressure on her chest trying it's best to strip the air from her lungs.

Power.

Not very different from her own.

Something stirred inside her, a quiet mumble in the back of her mind. A brush of comfort before it faded back into her and the heavy pressure released. Leaving her with only the vague hint of malevolence lurking inside.

"A daemon?" Eizen nodded, watching her lips intently to make out her words. She pointed toward the door and he nodded.

They would both bust in, weapons ready….well weapon. The blasted Malakhim used his fists but they were deadly enough. In her rare playful moments Velvet had tried to get him to complete his pirate ensemble with a proper sword but he had always resisted.

He held up three fingers. She nodded.

He dropped one.

Then the other.

And then they both forced into the room, making enough noise to cause confusion and chaos.

Only to be stopped short.

In the middle of the room, just in front of the ruined staircase, was a very determined exorcist. Her spear held out in front of her body ready to defend. Her green eyes misted with tears of frustration. She looked ready to battle to the death and the way they had rushed inside Velvet couldn't blame her.

In fact if it hadn't been for the small child cowering behind her legs she knew she and Eizen both would have already attacked. Likely killed her already.

Instead they both wearily lowered their arms. Not enough to set the girl at ease, but enough to let her know they wouldn't be attacking any time soon, not without provocation.

"Are you crying?" Velvet tips her head curiously. A little unsure as to why she even asked the question, it wasn't as if she truly cared about the answer.

The woman in front of her shifted on her feet and wiped her eyes with a sleeve, keeping her spear close to her body and making sure to keep herself between the newcomers and the child.

"No. I'm not." Green eyes blazed, practically daring Velvet to say otherwise. "You're not taking her back!" Her hands shook on her weapon but the girl's voice was firm.

Eizen looked to her for directions but Velvet only shrugged slightly, her eyes not leaving the woman in front of them. She did make a small gesture with her fingers, something he understood immediately as he shifted positions.

"Funny…." Velvet drawled out, not the least bit worried. "I wasn't aware I had a kid to begin with. Then again…the Abbey did a lot of things in the three years I was their prisoner so I suppose it's not outside the realm of possibilities."

The spear lowered a bit, shock seeping in past the determination. "Prisoner? You….are you not after me? You're not with the church?"

"No, little miss crybaby praetor we are not."

Those green eyes flared at her, her grip tightened on the spear for a moment before she risked a glance back at the fearful child.

"Then- who are you? What do you want with us?"

"Well….since you are a Praetor and we just escaped some Abbey ships by wrecking ourselves I'd say we are going to take you captive and ransomed you back as soon as possible." She grinned wickedly as the girl paled. " Wonder if we'll make enough to get us a new vessel." Her eyes moved from the girl to just behind her, "What do you think Eizen?"

"Wh-"

He had eased himself around as the woman's attention was focused on Velvet. Had blurred himself slightly to her senses and got into position behind her. At Velvet's signal he snatched the child away from her hiding place behind the young Praetor's legs.

"Kamoana! No!" She fell to her knees, spear falling from her grip and clanging on the wooden floor. Eizen pulled the child further away despite her kicking and crying and only watched as Velvet moved toward the woman, her own blade pointed at her defeated frame.

He had no intention of harming a child, not even the one in his grip but the young Praetor didn't need to know that.

"Seems you don't have a lot of choices now, Praetor."

"Do whatever you want with me, just don't hurt her. Don't send her back to the Abbey, please. I'll do anything."

Velvet's eyebrows rose as she risked a quick glance back to Eizen. "Now why wouldn't you want her to go back to the Abbey, you work for them do you not?" The cold flat steel of her blade pressed under the woman's chin, forcing her to look up.

"No I…not anymore. Please don't send her back."

Velvet hummed. It was interesting. She still wore the robes of a Praetor, filthy with mud as they were. She wondered why then she was so adamant the girl not be taken back. She had never heard of any one in the church's grip turning away from the teaching. They were all overjoyed to follow, like a lamb to slaughter, all unquestioning and loyal.

Sickening.

Barely the illusion of free will and yet they all followed so readily.

She shook off her thoughts.

"Get up." The redhead did as she was told, struggling to pull herself to her feet. "We'll take you both back to the others and figure out what to do with you after the rain lets up." Her eyes hardened. "Don't expect any sympathy. If I find it's more beneficial to kill you both I won't hesitate. So you had better hope your worth something to someone, Crybaby."


End file.
